The State Department announced that the United States and Philippines’s Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy or the 123 Agreement has entered into force on July 2. Signed in November of 2023, the 123 Agreement creates a legal framework for facilitating the export of nuclear fuel, reactors, equipment, and special material from the US to the Philippines for nuclear research and civil nuclear energy production based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation. Furthermore, the 123 Agreement streamlines the licensing requirements for private sector investments in nuclear-related technology and supports potential nuclear power projects with US providers.
In a separate statement, the US Embassy in Manila cited that around 40 companies, providing technology, services, and know-how, are expected to participate in the development nuclear energy in the Philippines. To ramp up commercial activities, the United States chose Manila as the headquarters for the US Civil Nuclear Industry Working Group in Southeast Asia, while the Philippines Department of Energy is planning to hold a supplier forum in November meant to build the supply chain needed for nuclear energy development projects in the Philippines.
The Philippines’ Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla welcomed the entry into force of the Agreement, mentioning that the country’s Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee(NEP-IAC) is finalizing the country’s nuclear program roadmap. Under the 2023-2050 Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), the entry of nuclear power generation capacities is targeted in 2032 with at least 1,200 MW, and additional 1,200 MW by 2035 and 2,400 MW by 2050.
